FORT WORTH, Texas --Oklahoma State sophomore Oleksandr Nedovyesov was honored today at the national level, receiving the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Player To Watch Award.

"I am very proud of him and what he has accomplished," OSU head coach James Wadley said. "We have known about him and his talent for a while and it is nice to see him get recognized nationally."

"I look forward to watching his progress over the next two years and it will be exciting to have such an outstanding player continue to represent Oklahoma State." The award is given to a player who has had an outstanding season and is expected to perform at a high level the rest of his career.

The award's criteria takes into account a player's sportsmanship and character as well. The Big 12 champion at both No. 1 singles and doubles, Nedovyesov was also named the conference player of the year and is currently the third-ranked player in the country. Overall, he has compiled a 25-6 record at the No. 1 singles spot while guiding the Cowboys to a berth in the round of 16 at the NCAA Championship.

Nedovyesov will return to action this week in both the singles and doubles portion of the NCAA Championship, which is being contested in Tulsa, Okla., at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.

As a freshman, Nedovyesov was tabbed as the Central Region Player to Watch as well as the Central Region Rookie of the Year.

The Alushta, Ukraine, native was chosen from eight regional winners for the player to watch award and is the first OSU tennis player to garner a national award since Pavel Kudrnac, who was named the ITA Senior Player of the Year in 1998.